Court docs shed new light on murder of Papa John’s delivery driver

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Court documents are revealing more about the violent final moments of a local pizza delivery driver. Those documents lay out what investigators say happened to 24-year-old LaVon Drake Monday night, before he was found shot to death.

According to investigators, the Papa John’s delivery driver was found shot to death by two different weapons. Court documents say an alert neighbor saw Drake walk up to the vacant rental house, then noticed the suspects’ car parked near her house and jotted down its plate number.

Another witness saw the three suspects, now identified as Juwuan Terry, 18, Jason Epeards, 18, and Jasean Dale, 19, leave the house with a rifle and a pizza bag. Police tracked the car to a nearby apartment complex where police say the suspects confessed to robbing and killing Drake; after which, investigators say, they went home to eat the pizza.

“I mean it really makes me sad, you know we’re just out here doing our job,” said Topper’s Pizza delivery driver Tyler Gadberry. The story has left drivers like him shaken.

“Anything can happen at any time,” said Gadberry.

At Topper’s pizza, team leaders say they stress safety above all else.

“You have to be very careful,” said team leader Kimberly Charles. “We have an entire delivery area that we don’t go to because of reasons like that.”

“It’s basically our gut, if we don’t feel like it’s right we just don’t do it,” said Charles.

Basic precautions, like carrying no more than $20 and delivering with a coworker are now taking on an even stronger meaning.

“I feel so sorry for his family,” said Charles. “If we were to ever lose somebody here, which hopefully never happens, we would probably shut our store down, because were that big of a family.”

Those three suspects are expected to appear in court some time Thursday morning. In the meantime, that victim’s family has asked for privacy from the public.